€50 million pilot project launched to support network of cybersecurity competence centres

The Commission launched today acall for proposalsfor a €50 million pilot to support the creation of a network of cybersecurity competence centres across the EU. The winning consortia, including also university labs and research centres, should scale up existing research for the benefit of the cybersecurity of the Digital Single Market, with solutions that can be marketable. The experience collected in the selected projects will contribute to the design of the future competence network which will include a European Cybersecurity Research and Competence Centre. This pilot project was announced in September 2017 together with a wide-ranging set of measures to equip Europe with the right tools to deal with cyber-attacks and to build strong cybersecurity in the EU. The project will be funded through theHorizon 2020Framework Programme. The call for proposals is openuntil 29 May 2018. Yesterday, the Commission also took another important step related to improving cybersecurity: as the Directive on security of network and information systems (NIS Directive) will have to be transposed by all Member States by9 May, the Commission adopted animplementing regulation on digital service providers (i.e. cloud computing services, online marketplaces and search engines) and the severity of cybersecurity incidents. The NIS Directive is the first piece of EU legislation aimed at strengthening the EU's cyber-resilience. It supports the strengthening of national capabilities,establishes technical and strategic cooperation at EU level and introduces security and notification requirements. More information on the call for proposals is available here and an overview of Commission's cybersecurity actions here. Further details on the transposition of the Directive on security of network and information systems can be readhere.